Backlash

The stout drained quickly from mug to throat and Hekaton Keirez wiped the frothy remains from his lips, just before putting a cigarette between them. He hadn't been working for the Federation Navy long - only long enough to know that the military was not for him and that the beer was much better planetside. The former he had known from day one; a career in the navy was only a ruse, a starting point for a man who had nothing to start with. The young Intaki had essentially scammed his way in to begin with and he would be scamming his way out soon enough - just as soon as he had enough cash in his pocket and experience under his belt to get far away from here. Stout number five came his way and he nodded with a sly grin at the bartender he had been flirting with since stout number one. Maybe beer six will get me some more attention... If it hadn't been for that lovely, brunette bartender Keirez would have left 'The Red Atron' as quickly as he had wandered in to the smelly bar. He hated the cold, steel atmosphere so prevalent many station bars, especially those owned by the navy. He took another drag from his cigarette and leaned back in the bar stool. No, this was nothing like the warm, leisurely style of Intaki where the chairs were comfortable and people hadn't forgotten how to make good wine. The limited experience he'd had in space had shown him that life was a lot colder and a lot more dangerous in the Black Sea, as Keirez liked to call it. He loved it already. The remaining half of his stout found its way to his belly as he slammed the mug down with a satisfied sigh. He eyed the bartender up and down once more. If only the beer were as satisfying as the view. There was a shout and a bustle at the door. "Hekaton Keirez!" The female voice resonating in his ears caused his spine to shudder and his face to wince with immediate recognition. He mustered up whatever smile he could and turned to face the voice. "Commander Angbad," he started politely. He tried to coat his normally soft voice with as much sweetness as possible. "Such a pleasure to see your lovely f-" "Shut it up, fly boy." It was this same flare of sass that had drawn him to the superior officer. Now he was regretting it. The good Commander stalked straight towards him, her otherwise gorgeous face twisted into a menacing scowl. Behind her, at the portal through which she had entered, stood two stout looking Civire men. Keirez took immediate notice; it wasn't everyday you saw someone from Caldari walking around in a Federation naval station. This may get messy if she's brought some hired help. It took all the will he had to keep his face calm as Commander Angbad grabbed him by the lapel of his flight suit and tugged him, nose to nose with his mistress. She spoke softly but sternly, not wanting to draw any more of the attention of the bar patrons than she already had. "I've never been to Intaki but, as far as I'm concerned, the rest of the Federation still has some chivalry left in it," she pursed her lips. This was first bite of the large piece of her mind she was about to give Hekaton Keirez. "Is that what they do there, eh?" her tone turned to mocking. "If that's the case the whole planet must be full of bastards. One night stand after one night stand, bastard birth after bastard birth. Oh!" She let go of him, putting her hand over her mouth in a feigned posture of realization. "That's right, they still believe in reincarnation on Intaki. So, I suppose those primitive, boneheaded beliefs mean you can leave progeny all over the place!" She slowed her speaking, "Well that's not how I operate, Keirez. I don't let pricks like you get away with shit like that." Though he put little stock in his home worlds' religious orientation, it still took every ounce of control he had to stay calm through the barrage of insults. At long last he replied with a wry smirk on his stubbled face. "Are you pregnant, Commander?" Angbad's mockery turned to fury as she rared back to slap him. Keirez caught her hand in midstroke. Immediately the brutes at the door stiffened, staring intently at their boss. Keirez had lost his patience. "Don't think that your rank means squat to me, lady. If you're not bright enough to spot a dog like me a mile away then don't come in here expecting me to fall on my knees begging forgiveness." With cigarette smoke billowing from his nostrils he shoved her away and turned to get back to his drink, much to the chagrin of the regulars who had hoped to see some action. Commander Angbad was breathing hard in fury and uncertainty. She leaned in once more behind him, whispering, "I'll see you soon. I'll see you soon." *** After about another hour of beers and up-front flirting, Keirez walked out of The Red Atron in failure. The brunette bartender was a sweetheart but a shy one at that. He wouldn't have much company tonight, or so he thought. His footsteps clanged along the steel walkways of the station towards the dock. Gazing through the thick glass he stopped. The bluish nebulae, studded with stars and moons, seemed to speak to him the same way they had as a boy living in a place where gravity ruled and air abided. 'Freedom' was their cry. They begged to be joined - the same beckoning that had brought life to this dismal part of space. He couldn't wait to get out of this shithole. Cigarette put out, he stepped through the portal to the dock where 'Break Even', his Navitas, waited. This naval station was but a stop one jump away from his destination. He had to get out of the pod for a spill before finishing his job and now he was back in, plugged in sync with his ships computer, ready to tear away from here for another buck. He ran the usual fitting test, ensuring everything was in place before undocking. Cargo was secure, all systems were go. Had he paid more attention he would have noticed the two Caldari ships, Kestrel class, that didn't move until he did. Instead he enter the coordinates of the next jump gate into his nav system and set the autopilot on. Had he paid more attention he would have also noticed how quickly his capacitor drained as he approached the gate but green security systems made the man lackadaisical. It wasn't until he came out of warp 100km from the gate instead of 15 that he grew concerned and doubly so when that familiar high frequency chirp told him he was being targeted. The rockets hit him hard. Doing his best to stay focused he punched at the controls as the two blasters, minimal protection against these frigates, came online to return fire. 'The capacitor is empty,' chimed the ship. His shields were nearly down. The Kestrels swooped around him, plugging the 'Break Even' with rockets and chaingun fire. Think, man, think! He was still 50km from the jump. Power systems sparked, the ships armor was rocked again by round after round. Finally a thought struck him. Faster than he had down anything since joining the navy, he switched everything offline save the afterburner, punching it hard, draining all the juice he could from the capacitor. 25km from the gate. Keirez would have awoken a clone if the sentry turrets had fired any later. He breathed a sigh of relief as the Kestrels popped in a brilliant flare and the Concord ships swept in to assess. Thank the gods that tricky bitch was too hasty to follow me into deepspace. Five minutes later he was back at that same station, calling his contact about the delay. Thankfully the 'Break Even' was insured and he'd have another ship in no time but he made every effort to extend his delivery deadline; such a traumatic event would leave him unable to pilot a ship properly for at least another night. Closing his mobile NeoCom he grinned softly. I wonder if that bartender is on the job again. Cleared for publication by: Ander